Mali: Gunmen have killed dozens of civilians and wounded several more in attacks on two villages in western Niger, near the country’s border with Mali. This was explained when Interior Minister Alkache Alhada told the DPA news agency that the attacks took place in the villages of Tchombangou and Zaroumdareye in the region of Mangaize on Saturday.
At least 56 civilians were killed and 20 more wounded, he said, without specifying the exact toll in each village.
It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the assaults.
A local journalist told the AFP news agency that 50 people were killed in Tchombangou, while Reuters, citing security sources, said at least 49 were killed and 17 were wounded in the same village.
Another 30 were killed in Zaroumdareye, another security source told Reuters.
The violence came on the same day Niger announced the results from the first round of a presidential election.
